Food preserving apparatus



FOOD PRESERVING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 50, 1944 Patented Nov. 9, i948UNITED, STATE FOODI R ESERVING APPARATUS Homer L.-Moore, Chamblee, Ga.Alpplication August 30, 1944; Serial No. 551,976

2 Claims. (01. 9 51) This; invention relates to apparatus primarilydesigned for preserving food, and aims to accomplish such end by the useof air and water alone, as found. in nature, although when desired theaction maybe supplemented by the use of ice, or any mechanicalrefrigerating unit.

I aim to provide a structure wherein the foods or materials may bepreserved without the use of ice or electric refrigeration or theequivalent for many months in each year, but at the same time withretention of the nutritive values of the foods and without exchange orinterchange of food flavors.

In addition I aim to attain the end stated by disposing in the foodcompartment at the base thereof a water reservoir, and by having a draftpipe and a vent pipe in communication with the food compartment, thedraft pipe being located between the water supply or reservoir and thevent pipe, and with novel closure or control means to open or close saiddraft pipe and vent pipe.

The more specific objects and advantages will become apparent from aconsideration of the description following taken in connection withaccompanying drawings illustrating an operative embodiment.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation, partly broken away, and with thedoor to the food compartment removed, of the food preserving apparatusaccording to the invention; and

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken primarily on the line 2-2 ofFigure, 1.

Referring specifically to the drawings wherein like reference charactersdesignate like or similar parts, throu hout the different views Iprovide a suitable box or cabinet as at In whose walls are of anysuitable construction, being of metal, wood, plastic, or the like andwhich may have suitable insulation. Cabinet preferably is elevated fromthe floor or other supporting structure as by legs at I2. Also thecabinet is open at the front to enable access to the food compartmentgenerally designated I3, which opening is closed by a suitable door [4.

The door l4 may be hinged to the cabinet as at l6, and any suitablelatching, locking, or equivalent device may be provided therefor,although not shown.

Adjacent the base of the food compartment I3 I provide a perforated orforaminous shelf l1.

Below the perforated shelf IT the cabinet is closed at the front as wellas at the other sides thereby to provide a reservoir l9 adapted to bemaintained full of water as at '20. The watermay be supplied in anysuitable manner, for instance poured into the reservoir through theperforated shelf I1, but preferably be supplied througha pipe 2i from.any suitabl'e source by manual or auto-- matic zcontrot as preferred.suitable valve controlled drain pipe 22 may lead from the base of thereservoir, and near the top of the latter I also provide an overflowpipe 23.

Connected to a wall of the cabinet I!) and communicating with theinterior of the food compartment l3 adjacent the base thereof is a draftpipe or duct 24 of any suitable diameter. Such draft pipe is adapted toopen to the exterior of the building or room where the apparatus islocated, in order that it will communicate with outside air.

Also fastened in a wall of the apparatus at the food compartment l3,adjacent the top thereof, is a vent pipe or duct 26, which likewise isadapted to discharge into the outside atmosphere, as into a chimney,stove pipe, or even independently thereof.

Around the pipes or ducts 24 and 26, within the casing or cabinet I0, Iprovide suitable frames 21 and '28, respectively, in which valves orplates 29 and 30 are slidably mounted, respectively, so as entirely tocut off the communication between. the food compartment l3 and saidpipes or ducts or partly cut off the same.

With such a food preserving structure or system, food or the like may bepreserved many months in each year without ice, electric, gas, or othermechanical refrigeration, or the equivalent. I simply utilize the freeflow of cold air from. the atmosphere for cooling compartment l3 and thewater 20 which coacts therewith in preserving the nutritive value offoods by humidifying the air so that dry cold is avoided, and which iswell known to extract the nutritive value of foods. I also find that inthe instanced structure there is no exchanging of food flavors one withanother.

Closures 29 and 30 may be closed when the weather is subzero, and theymay be thermostatically operable if preferred.

Any number of suitable foraminous shelves l3a may be employed in thefood compartment [3.

The cabinet Ill has an upper compartment 3| that they fall within thespirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. Preserving apparatus of the class described comprising a cabinet,said cabinet having a food compartment, a water reservoir in the bottomof the cabinet open to the food compartment, a draft pipe, a vent pipeabove the draft pipe, said draft pipe and vent pipe communicating withthe interior of the food compartment and the outside air, said draftpipe being disposed above and adjacent the reservoir, and refrigeratingmeans 10 within the cabinet above the food compartment to produce alower temperature within the food compartment than that of said waterreservoir.

2. A preserving apparatus comprising an insulated cabinet having a foodcompartment, a water reservoir in the cabinet beneath the foodcompartment and communicating therewith,

maintaining a controlled flow of water to the reservoir, an overflowpipe leading from the reservoir to maintain and limit the water leveltherein, said reservoir having a drainage pipe, 9, draft pipe openinginto the food compartment above and adjacent the reservoir, a vent pipeleading from the upper part of the food compartment, said draft and ventpipes communicating with the conduit I means connected to a source ofwater supply for 4 atmosphere, and a refrigerating unit in the upperpart of the cabinet above the food. compartment for maintaining the foodcompartment at the desired temperature.

HOMER L. MOORE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Australia -1 June 16, 1939

